Missing
Disclaimer: I own nothing
A/N:
Chapter 3 (Victoria)
"She does appear to be comfortable with you." Tori nodded at Rebecca Oliver, Beck's mother and current working Social Worker. Her supervisor, Jerome Banks, a Police Captain rank, three was also there. The child was on the couch, huddled close to her while. Rebecca leaned forward to ask the child a question, but the girl's hand clutched tighter to Tori's shirt and her face moved behind her arm. "I see…"
"Careful Mrs. Oliver, she won't talk to anyone. When Jade came by this morning, she hid from her." The girl looked up to Tori and she gave the girl a warm smile before glancing to her father across the room. "She's been strangely comfortable with Dad too, though she's been clinging to me."
"You said my grandchildren were over as well?"
"Jade brought them to play with her, they're outside. She was watching them before I called you over to bring this child to your attention." The laws stated that the girl would very likely have to go to a group home or somewhere temporarily until they learned who the parents of the girl was, but Tori wasn't comfortable with this. "I'm a little concerned sending her anywhere else right now will be detrimental."
Jerome scratched his chin and started to hum. "I can see where you may feel that way." He pulled his hand away with a sigh and furrowed his brow as the child studied him. "What do you know about her so far? Do you suspect any ties to the Shapiro crime scene?"
"I'm not sure. She was near the area, but I've already mentioned both victims' names, and she did not appear to recognize either. She had a peculiar reaction to the brother's name, however."
When mentioning Robbie by name, the girl hid beneath the blanket on her bed and started trembling as she had been the night prior. She wasn't sure what it meant, and she did ask the girl whether he bore any relation to him and she shook her head no.
"It could be that whoever is responsible for killing our two victims also abandoned the child there. I'm not sure, but that is only one theory I can think of." Tori leaned back and lowered her shoulders as the girl propped her head up onto one shoulder. "I sent Jade to the crime lab to run the DNA with any missing person's record and amber alerts. We're hoping to find something."
"Now I have a feeling wherever she was before, she was met with abuse." She turned to the child and motioned to Rebecca. "If you could show the nice lady your bruises, it may help." The young girl hesitated for a bit, then extended her arms.
Tori placed her palm beneath the child's arm and frowned as Rebecca's hand moved up to her mouth. Jerome clicked his tongue and shook his head. "Well Miss Vega, no children have been reported missing in the last forty-eight hours, we will keep watch if any are released."
"I'll be watchful as well sir."
"Good. Now, do you have any possible thoughts on the child's speech?"
"She appears to be able to talk, I've heard her speak in her sleep and I thought I heard her say something to Kyle and Amanda earlier-but it was a whisper. It's possible she just isn't speaking because she doesn't trust anyone."
Whatever trauma the girl went through, she wasn't sure if getting the girl to speak was going to help much in the long run.
"Okay." Jerome pat his knees and smiled reassuringly at the child before glancing back to Tori. "Since Jade is already working with the DNA, that is good, but we're still going to need some other things on record and on file. Namely her fingerprints, photos of any bruising and identification. Since the child is comfortable with you, I would like for you to retrieve this."
"Yes sir."
Jerome picked up the briefcase beside him and moved it towards her. "Now, please." Tori looked to the child and held her breath as the girl studied the object in the man's hands. "Get a buccal swab just in case, as well. We will wait out here."
"Yes sir."
She guided the child into the bedroom. There was a little concern about whether the young girl would be comfortable with this, but as it was necessary, Tori had to think of a way to make her feel comfortable.
The child climbed up onto the bed and bounced twice while watching her open the briefcase. "Okay." Tori thought back to how Jade often spoke to her children when trying to keep them calm, and used the calmest tone she could muster. "We need to be able to identify you, sweetie. Which means that we need to make a file for you."
The girl's eyebrows meshed together and her lips dropped into a frown. The child peered into the briefcase and pointed at the fingerprint kit. Tori knelt down to the child's level and took her hands while gazing into the girl's eyes.
"That is a fingerprint kit. Did you see what Kyle and Amanda were doing earlier? Finger-painting." The girl's eyebrows rose and her head nodded once. "It's a lot like that. Let me show you." She took a tissue from the Kleenex box on the end table. "Here's what you do, sweetie."
She opened the kit and pressed her thumb down on the ink material. The girl's eyes lit up once Tori pressed down on the tissue and removed her thumb, leaving the residue form her print.
"This will help us identify you so we can send your information to other police departments nearby in case anyone can identify you." She reached into the briefcase and pulled out a long Q-tip with a cap over it. "This will also be used to collect your DNA. None of this will hurt, and if you'd like, I'll do it all to myself first."
The child took the Q-tip in her hands and looked to the cotton top with a studious gaze. Tori folded her arms over her knees and smiled as the girl gently pushed the tip into her mouth and against her cheeks.
"Very good." Tori took the swab and attached the cap, then gently set the item back in place. She then grabbed the paper that the girl needed to put her fingerprints on and placed it carefully in front of her. "Do you see the squares, dear? I need you to do what I did with the tissue, but place your fingerprint inside the squares."
The girl did as suggested and Tori praised her again, which caused the girl's face to light up.
Unfortunately, the next bit was going to be difficult. They would have to document pictures of the abuse on the child, and she didn't know how the young girl was going to react to a camera.
"Okay sweetie, there's one more thing that we need to get done." She took the girl's hands and looked into her eyes. The girl pursed her lips and turned her head to look at the camera in the briefcase. "We need to document the bruises on your body, as well as the marks left behind by the ropes. Will you let me take a few photos for my boss? He's the nice man outside."
The child looked away from the camera and studied Tori's gaze once more. After several seconds the child stood from the bed and proceeded to lift up her shirt. Tori looked on with horror at the bruising on the girl's back and shoulders.
"Did your parents do this to you?"
The girl whimpered and her body tensed as she shook her head. "N-Not mama. B-Bad people." She froze and her jaw fell open as the girl's first words struck her and slammed her heart into the ground. She didn't know who could harm an innocent girl, but judging by the sound of it, it wasn't her own parents.
"Y-You're safe here, dear." She grabbed the camera and started to take the pictures. "I promise you, once we are done here, there shouldn't be much left to do." The girl turned to face her and held her breath. Tori looked up to her, flashing a warm smile as she squeezed the child's hands. "I want you to know that you can trust me. You can talk to me when you feel comfortable."
It was amazing that the child could talk, and as much as she'd like to ask questions, she knew it was best not to push. The girl was going to say what she wanted, when she wanted. "Do you have a name, honey? Something that I can call you?"
The girl wiped her eyelids and her nose twitched. "V-Victoria." Tori's heart stopped suddenly and her lips parted. They turned up after a second and the girl's eyebrows drifted up.
"Victoria? That's a beautiful name, and something we have in common." Tori moved her hand to her chest as the child smiled at her. "That's my full name, but I go by 'Tori'."
She finished up her procedure and walked Victoria out. The girl held onto her hand and walked close to her legs. Jerome and Rebecca were standing, both eagerly awaiting for the two. She handed the briefcase to her superior and looked down to the child.
"We've made some headway as well, sir. She won't say much, but she did tell me two things."
"What are those?"
"Upon asking about the abuse, she stated her mother was not responsible, but that 'bad people' also were." She turned her eyes to David in the corner of the room, he was still studying the child with a curious gaze. "She also told me her name. Victoria." David's head lifted up and Jerome flashed a pleasant smile.
"Very good, and please do inform us if she tells you anything further. I understand that while we need to pursue this, we're also not going to force information from a young child."
Her heart jumped and swelled with hope. "Are you saying that she is to stay with me until we can find the mother?" Jerome pushed his hands down onto his hips and exhaled slowly.
"Rebecca and I have discussed situation, and I do feel that as of right now and until further notice…the child is most comfortable in your presence. Until we've found her parents-"
The front door swung open and Tori flinched as Jade came rushing in. "Jade. You know I have a doorbell." The woman had an envelope in her hand and looked frantic.
"This can't wait. I've got the DNA results." She frowned and looked down at the girl. David let out a heavy sigh and moved forward.
"It was nice while it lasted," He spoke under his breath. "A child around the house would be a nice change of pace." He crossed his arms and leaned back. "So Jade, what did you find out? Is the child on any missing person's list?"
Jade's fingers were trembling and her frantic eyes had fallen onto the envelope. "N-No sir. Nobody has reported her missing." Tori's head tilted to the right and Jade extended the envelope to Tori. "You'd better read it. It's like a ghost. I mean, she shares a maternal connection to someone else in the missing persons database."
"Jade, relax." She opened the flap of the envelope and reached inside. Her heart shot a static pulse through her body as she pulled the papers from the folder. Just the fact that Victoria shared a connection to someone on the missing persons database was alarming, but for some reason, she felt like there was greater cause for alarm.
As she removed the papers fully, she watched the girl in the corner of her eyes. Victoria climbed onto the couch and folded her hands in her lap. Tori pressed her lips together and returned her glance to the results.
When she saw a familiar name, all of time ceased and the wind was instantly knocked from her. The room around her started to crumble and her knees buckled beneath her. "Oh god." She lived her trembling fingers over her mouth and looked to Victoria. It made sense now, why the girl's name was the same as hers and why her father thought the child looked so much like Trina.
"Well?" David barked. "What is it? Your boss doesn't have all day."
"Dad, I…" She was paralyzed from a numb shock that spread like a disease across her body. Her words wouldn't come out of her mouth, and for the first time in her life, she was out of things to say. Many new questions were being raised in her mind, and one thing was certain, this child wasn't going anywhere.
Jerome took the papers from her and Rebecca leaned over to peer over his shoulder. Her lips trembled as the child's chestnut eyes met hers. "Victoria, sweetheart, your mother?" Victoria's lips fell and her eyebrows curled up in the middle. "Is Katrina?" David's eyes widened and his hand flew to his chest. "Is Trina-is your mother still alive?"
The girl nodded slowly. Jerome and Rebecca looked to the child, their bodies relaxed and Jerome lowered the paperwork. She wanted to scream, to fall down and cry at Victoria's gesture.
"Is-Is your father anywhere around your mom?" When the girl shook her head, Tori almost collapsed on the ground. Wherever Trina was, she was clearly still single. It was possible Trina had a picture of her sister, in which case, perhaps Victoria recognized her.
"I think it's clear," Jerome replied softly, "You and Mr. Vega are this child's next of kin. If her mother's still out there, we should find her…"
Tori staggered to the right, cupping her hand over her mouth as her tears ran down her cheeks. "We need to find her fast, Sir. Victoria was found tied to a tree. I-I don't know what shape my sister's in. I'll look after Victoria." She saw her father fall onto the couch next to the girl. The child looked up at him, and upon making eye contact, set her hand over his.
"We'll look after her, and we'll…find Trina."
So it's settled, the child stays with her. It should be obvious the reason Trina named her daughter after her sister. Looks like Tori and others will need to work fast to figure out where Trina could be. She was taken right under their noses, and by someone she trusted-otherwise Trina would have fought. Start thinking, David will probably mention something next chapter that could prove to be possible motive for a possible suspect that nobody's looked at. Trust me though, the primary kidnappers won't be hidden from the reader. Not for long, at least.